The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for manufacturing belted garments in which the method includes applying two belt halves to a web of carrier material.
Garments in the form of disposable diapers are generally known in which the diaper is provided with a fastening system comprising a pair of fastening tabs secured to both sides of one end region of the diaper. The fastening tabs are intended to engage receiving means located on the other end region of the diaper. Such a diaper is generally placed on the wearer when the wearer is lying down.
Whilst the above-described fastening arrangement is satisfactory when applying diapers to a young child or baby, problems can arise when trying to fit an incontinence diaper to an adult wearer. This is particularly true for wearers who wish to apply the diaper to themselves.
It has been shown that a belted garment is easier to apply to a wearer who is standing. An example of a belted incontinence garment is described in FR-A-2 586 558 in which an absorbent chassis is provided with belt webs on both sides of a first longitudinal end. The webs are intended to be fastened around the waist of the wearer while the absorbent chassis hangs down between the legs of the wearer. Once the webs have been joined together, the wearer can then reach between his or her legs to draw up the absorbent chassis between the legs and to attach the free end of the absorbent chassis to the belt webs.
Although belted diapers may offer considerable advantages for certain groups of wearers, they are generally more difficult to manufacture than conventional diapers. This is due in part to the fact that the belt or belt halves are considerably longer than conventional fastening tabs and have to be secured to the chassis of the diaper on a rapidly moving production line. Due to the speed of the production line which is necessary for the economic viability of the product, it is imperative that the belt or belt halves do not snag or fasten in any machinery of the production line, otherwise the production would be interrupted.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for manufacturing belted garments, which method and apparatus permit more viable mass production of the garments.
This object is achieved in accordance with the present invention by the method and apparatus recited in the claims.